[chopstick]

I have not yet seen a gas station that does not allow credit card usage at the pump. I'm in the D.C. area.

I'm not surprised that the stations want to have their customers use something other than credit cards, as credit card usage means the gas station takes a 2-4% hit on the transaction. That can really add up fast.

Someone mentioned that the fees to the gas station are the same for debit/credit - I was under the impression that the credit fee was higher, can anyone else please chime in on this?


Not to hijack, but another thing about gas stations that I'd like to add to the rant is the attempt to sell you stuff at the pump prior to your transaction being completed - like when you swipe your card, pump your gas, then hang up the nozzle and before you get the receipt? y/n prompt, it asks if you want a car wash. You have to answer that before you can get your receipt. For those of us who use those receipts for tax purposes, this is really annoying.

Also annoying is the "Debit?" question that pops up right after you sweep your card - the way this is done makes me think that the fees to the station are less for debit than for credit. I dislike this as well, but wonder if enough people use their credit cards as debit cards for it to be a reasonable question. The car wash is most certainly not, and I actively avoid places that do that.